美国国家公共电台 NPR As Oil Drilling Nears In Arctic Refuge, 2 Alaska Villages See Different Futures

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Drill, baby, drill - that was former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's rallying cry years ago, and it became a standard line for a lot of Republicans anxious to get oil out of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Now the Trump¹ administration is set to get that drilling started. Among those who fought hardest against oil development there - the Alaska Native Gwich'in, whose tribal² lands border the refuge. As Elizabeth Harball of Alaska's Energy Desk reports, some aren't ready to admit defeat.

ELIZABETH HARBALL, BYLINE³: One thing lies at the heart of Gwich'in tribe's opposition⁴ to oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - caribou⁵.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Everybody ready? On your mark, set, go.

HARBALL: At an annual carnival⁶ held in Arctic Village, men gather around a plastic folding table for a caribou leg-skinning contest. Their knives work from knee to cloven hoof⁷, hands tugging⁸ hide from bone.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: ...Looking for second and third.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Second.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Second.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Third.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: Third.

HARBALL: One of the top finishers is David Smith Jr. He's a leader, the second chief in this small remote community. And like most everyone in Arctic Village, Smith believes oil development and the refuge would harm the caribou his people hunt.

DAVID SMITH JR: And that's going to change our very lifestyle. The reason we're here is for the caribou.

HARBALL: Caribou are a primary source of food here; more than that, they're part of the tribe's cultural identity. Two-hundred thousand-some caribou migrate past Arctic Village and other Gwich'in communities every year. Smith says the caribou herd⁹ allows the Gwich'in to continue their traditional way of life.

SMITH: I would say this is like no other place on Earth, so we shouldn't be treated like any other place on Earth. I can drive in any direction and hunt freely. I can drive in any direction and go trapping.

HARBALL: The main caribou herd the Gwich'in hunt is called the Porcupine¹⁰. It commonly gives birth in the same part of the refuge where drilling is now legal. Scientists say predicting exactly how drilling could affect the caribou is tricky¹¹. Near other oil developments in Alaska's Arctic, calving caribou were able to shift their movements away from infrastructure¹². But the calving area in the refuge is more hemmed¹³ in, between a mountain range and the Arctic Ocean. So some biologists worry the impacts could be greater. In a moment of quiet during the carnival, Arctic Village council member Faith Gemmill bounces a relative's baby on her lap.

FAITH GEMMILL: Pretty girl. Pretty girl.

HARBALL: Gemmill says when Congress legalized drilling in the refuge in 2017, it shifted the ground beneath the Gwich'in and galvanized them, too.

GEMMILL: It's put our tribe in the position of defense¹⁴. And we have to work hard, harder than we've worked before, to try to defeat that.

HARBALL: And they keep fighting - every way they can - an effort that extends far beyond this small community. Gwich'in advocates have forged strong alliances with environmental groups, and they traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby members of Congress. This has drawn¹⁵ ire from the many other Alaskans who support drilling in the refuge because oil is a huge part of the state's economy. Here's Alaska Republican Congressman¹⁶ Don Young at a hearing in March.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DON YOUNG: I'll tell you, Mr. Chairman, I want to believe the people - not the Gwich'in because they're not the people.

HARBALL: He accused them of accepting money to protest and of stealing the national narrative¹⁷ from the Alaska Native people who live in the refuge. The Inupiat are closer to where drilling would happen, and many of them do support it. These are decades old arguments, but as drilling moves closer to reality, the edges have gotten sharper. Back in Arctic Village, longtime Gwich'in activist¹⁸ Sarah James is not ready to say they've lost.

SARAH JAMES: We're proud to be Gwich'in. We're proud to be caribou people. We love our food. We love who we are, so we'll never give up on that. We're never going to surrender (laughter).

HARBALL: And it's true; a lot could happen between now and when oil rigs show up in the refuge. Environmental groups could sue, and there's a presidential election coming up. But the Trump administration is moving fast. It aims to let oil companies bid on land in the refuge by the end of this year.

For NPR News, I'm Elizabeth Harball.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 caribou   

n.北美驯鹿

参考例句：

• Afar off he heard the squawking of caribou calves.他听到远处有一群小驯鹿尖叫的声音。
• The Eskimos played soccer on ice and used balls filled with caribou hair and grass.爱斯基摩人在冰上踢球，他们用的是驯鹿的毛发和草填充成的球。

6 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

7 hoof   

n.(马，牛等的)蹄

参考例句：

• Suddenly he heard the quick,short click of a horse's hoof behind him.突然间，他听见背后响起一阵急骤的马蹄的得得声。
• I was kicked by a hoof.我被一只蹄子踢到了。

8 tugging   

n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Tom was tugging at a button-hole and looking sheepish. 汤姆捏住一个钮扣眼使劲地拉，样子显得很害羞。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• She kicked him, tugging his thick hair. 她一边踢他，一边扯着他那浓密的头发。 来自辞典例句

9 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

10 porcupine   

n.豪猪， 箭猪

参考例句：

• A porcupine is covered with prickles.箭猪身上长满了刺。
• There is a philosophy parable,call philosophy of porcupine.有一个哲学寓言，叫豪猪的哲学。

11 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

12 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

13 hemmed   

缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围

参考例句：

• He hemmed and hawed but wouldn't say anything definite. 他总是哼儿哈儿的，就是不说句痛快话。
• The soldiers were hemmed in on all sides. 士兵们被四面包围了。

14 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

15 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

16 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

17 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

18 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。